Award-winning retailer Jollyes will open its next new store at Unit 2, Grimshaw Park, Lower Audley Street, Blackburn on Friday 26 July with an important giveaway for dog owners across the UK.
Inspired by Blackburn with Darwen Council’s campaign to encourage dog owners to do the right thing, Jollyes will offer the first 140 customers on opening day free ‘power poop’ bags that even come with a battery-style red reminder when the roll is about to run out.
The giveaway could help pet parents save money – one council is hiking its fine for dog fouling to £200 as part of a zero tolerance crackdown – but even if a council issues typical fixed penalties of £50, ignoring the demand means owners can be fined up to £1000 at court.
But the giveaway won’t just be for customers at its new Blackburn store – Jollyes is writing today to every council in the UK with a nearby Jollyes store to tell them that all of its 100-plus locations will also have 140 free poo bag rolls for the first customers to shop in store next Friday 26 July.
That means Jollyes’ UK stores will give out almost 225,000 free poo bags to customers next week.
Jollyes will take up residence in Blackburn close to Asda, B&M and Halfords in the former Mothercare unit and will offer a frozen raw food ‘shop-in-shop’ for pet parents who want to take advantage of Jollyes’ wide range of frozen food – rapidly becoming the most popular way for owners to feed their dogs.
Alongside the poop bag giveaway, there’s a big line up of other activity planned for opening weekend.
In support of Jollyes new partnership with the National Foundation for Retired Service Animals (NFRSA), three retired prison service dogs and a North West border force cocker spaniel will bite through a strong of sausages to formally declare the store open.
RPD Purdy, a cockapoo, RPD Orio a 14 year old labrador and RPD Digit, an 11 year old Collie and prison service handler Sarah Vinton alongside border force cocker spaniel Norman (age three and a half) and his handler Alanna Bayliss from Bolton will perform the opening ceremony alongside the Mayor of Blackburn with Darwen, Councillor Brian Taylor.
The partnership with NFRSA runs alongside local fundraising at each of Jollyes 100-plus stores support, helping them support the care, well-being, and welfare of retired service animals from across the emergency service family - the police, fire, border force, National Crime Agency, NHS and prison services.
Over the next 12 months, all Jollyes’ stores will be raising money for NFRSA with collections matched by Jollyes up to £20,000 that will help NFRSA support retired service animals and their owners.
On Friday, there’ll be goody bags available for the first 100 customers, stilt walkers and an opportunity for all customers to spin Jollyes’ iconic ‘Wheel of Fur-tune’ to win instant prizes.
On Saturday 27 July there’ll also be entertainment and music and customer gameshows alongside balloon modelling for kids with prizes to be won.
In addition to the raw food frozen ‘shop-in-shop’ Jollyes offers high quality private label pet food such as its own Lifestage, K9 and Rileys brands which offer a premium experience without a big brand price tag.
Jollyes has recruited a team of 12 in Blackburn which will be led by experienced Jollyes colleague Natalie Bentley who’s run stores in Ashton and across the country.
“We can’t wait to open our doors next week,” said Natalie.
“We’re already working hard to get the store ready and looking forward to giving pet parents in Blackburn a new alternative for their pets at home.
“We can’t wait to bring the kind of value and service we’re famous for, here to the heart of Lancashire.”
Jollyes has grown its store estate by 50% in three years and has had an remarkable start to 2024 winning new investment to supercharge its growth, being named as the best retailer in Britain at the prestigious Retail Week awards for retailers under £250m turnover and making the Sunday Times’ list for the first time as one of Britain’s best big companies to work for.
